Lumber-drier



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. L.- BURTON 8: H. MEYERDING.

LUMBER DRIER.

No. 521,846. Patented June 26, 1894.

Henry Jllgyema' g 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Patented June 26, 1894.

I (No Model.)

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771271 5 w Wl'mn 11B urlbn I I Henry Meyercu'n V 3y 77Zaosm wunmaron u c NITE-D STATE .PATENT WILLIAM 'L. BURTON AND HENRY MEYERDING, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

LUMBER-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 521,846, dated June 26, 1894.

Application filed April 1,1892. smart). 427.351. (No model.)

To alt whom it may concern.-

Be It known that we, WILLIAM L. BURTON v and HENRY MEYERDING,,OitiZeI1S of theUnited States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans, State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lumber-Driers, of which the following is a specificatlon, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings. J

Our invention relates to that class of driers that are used mainly to dry lumber, and the ob ects of our improvements are to regulate the admission of airand its uniform distributlon, either the whole length, or a portion'of the length of the drier, to avoid checking the green lumber when placed therein. We attam these objects by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lumber drler shortened and partially broken away to show the parts constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevatlon of the same. Fig. 3 is a top view, shortened, of the steam pipes or manifold used in heating the drier. Fig. 415 a front view on a larger scale of a portion of the air box and lts air valves. Fig. 5 is a corresponding view with the location of the valves modified. Fig. 6 1s a top View of the air valves. Fig. 7 is an end view of said valves.

In said drawings A, represents the walls, whlch are'preferably made of lumber suitably framed, lined ,on' one or both sides with planks and heavy paper a, and packed with saw-dust. The roof B is also made preferably of two thicknesses of boards with sawdust packed between them.

The ends of the drier are provided as usual with doors 0, that occupy the whole width of the drier and are-adapted to slide .up and down when desired, being suspended from ropes a passing over pulleys O Weights 0 attached to the opposite end of these ropes c nearly counterbalance the doors.

Resting upon posts D placed at suitable distances apart, are rail-sleepers D extending the length of the drier, and on top of said sleepers, the rails d are spiked, that carry the lumber trucks. About twelve to twentyfour inches below the bottom of the sleepers D is placed the open floor E which consists of narrow strips or-slats about an inch'thick and two inches wide, square edged and laid parallel with the sides of the drier, being supported on light transverse joints secured to or otherwise supported by the posts D. The narrow square edged slats of the floor E are so laid and secured to the joists as to have spaces about one eighth of an inch wide between the slats, through which the air that is to be admitted into the drier is obliged to pass; the total of openings being substantially equal to the openings in the valves and thus a substantially perfect distribution of the air let in is obtained; said distribution being es sential to the uniform drying of lumber. The slats may also have perforations for the passage of air through them. About twelve inches below the floor E is placed a tight floor F which consists of matched flooring resting upon light joists supported by the posts D.

are united to the joists of the open floor E by short studdings' or joists f secured at an angle of about forty-five degrees with the horizon. Upon said joists f or upon the joists of the floor F, if extended to the sides of the drier, are placed the valve support G and one upon the other the valves G and H.

Thevalve support G and the valve G2 consist of planks ten or twelve inches wide extending the whole length of the drier.- The valve support G is stationary, being secured to the joists f and has a series of preferably square perforations 9 about six inches square, with a space of about seven inches between them. The valve G resting upon the valve support G is of the same size andhas similarly arranged perforations 9 but it can be moved endwise by means of a screw 71. having one end in engagement with a nut carried by the valve G and its neck circumferentially grooved and in engagement with a in the valve G said solid portions being intended to close the perforations in the foreend of the valve G2 when it is desired to prevent the admission of air in said end of the drier, to avoid checking green lumber when first admitted into the drier; said valve H is moved by a screw it similarly arranged and operated as the screw 72/ By the above stated construction, there is obtained under each drier an air chamber K having a closed bottom and ends, and vertical or inclined sides, said box having openings controlled by valves and a slatted top E having open slots between the strips, constituting said top, the total area of said slots being substantially equal to the openings in the valves for the uniform admission of air into the drier through its entire floor.

To heat the air received into the drier, there is placed and supported about twenty inches above the floor E, a large steam pipe L extended across said door, and connected with said pipe I. are a series of manifold or straight pipes'L extended the length of the drier and connected with the escape pipe L at the rear end of the drier. In the pipe L, steam will be admitted, preferably exhauststeam in the day time and live steam at night.

In the cupola M, or in the center of the roof, if a nearly flat roof is used, there is placed a wide board, or two of them, perforated as the valve G upon which rests asimilarly perforated board or boards N, controlled by a screw it at the end thereof to regulate the escape of air from the drier.

To increase the temperature of the air admitted into the drier through the openings in the valve-support G and valve G particularly near the rcarvend of the drier, the air can be heated by contact with a flue P through which smoke or heated products of combustion are made to pass on its way between a furnace Q suitably located in the ground at a lower level than the floor of the drier, and a suitably located up-take or chimney. The flue P is substantially horizontal, and is made to pass transversely under a rear portion of a series of drying chambers built side by side. Said flue is laid a few feet below the air chamber K, and is covered with a few inches of sand at the end nearest to the furnace.

Having now fully described our invention, we claim- 1. In a drier the combination of a slatted floor E, a tightly closed floor F, studdings uniting said floors adjacent to their sides, a stationary perforated plank G alongside of sa1d studdings, a longitudinally movable valveplank G upon the plank G and a shorter movable valve-plank H upon the plank G with a series of steam pipes located horizontally'above the upper floor substantially as described.

2. A drier having in the bottom thereof an air box, the top of which forms the floor of the drier and consists of slats kept apart, the bottom or floor of said box being substantially air tight, perforated plank-valves G and G2 on the side of the air box, a series of steam pipes located horizontally above the air box, and a horizontal smoke flue under said box substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we aflix oursignatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM L. BURTON. HENRY MEYERDING. Witnesses:

L. DE RooR'rER, F. H. BOULMAY. 

